This invention relates generally to a golf course lighting system and more particularly to a portable system to provide an inexpensive, easy-to-install way to play golf at night.
A significant amount of time is required to complete an entire eighteen hole round of golf or even to complete a partial round of nine holes. An expert golfer may take up to three hours to complete an entire golf round where a novice golfer may require even more time. If a golf course is being heavily used by many golfers at the same time, the amount of time required to complete a golf round is further increased.
Because of the extensive time requirements, and because golf can only be played outdoors, the number of hours available for playing golf within any 24 hour period is very limited. For example, during the winter months, when it becomes dark relatively early, it would be impossible for a golfer, after a typical eight hour workday, to complete a round of golf before it got dark. In some golf course locations, during the summer months it is too hot to comfortably play golf during the middle of the day. However, as the temperature falls later into the evening, it is too dark to play golf. This limited time window for playing golf limits the number of total rounds that can be played on any one golf course over a year and prevents many people with restrictive schedules from golfing as often as they would like.
To increase the number of hours in a day in which golf can be played, lights have been installed on some golf courses. However, a golf course covers a significant amount of land. For example, a typical golf course can encompass over 100 acres. This amount of area requires a large number of lights to sufficiently light the entire golf course. In addition, because the golf ball is relatively small and is hit a relatively long distance (i.e., up to 300 yards), there must be even more lighting than might normally be imagined.
For example, conventional golf course lighting must illuminate the golf ball while lying on the ground and while traveling in the air. The ground area must be sufficiently illuminated so that a golfer can locate the relatively small golf ball from a sufficient distance away. The sky above the golf course must also be sufficiently illuminated so that after the golf ball is hit with a golf club, the golfer can see the trajectory of the ball while it is traveling through the air. Being able to see the ball trajectory is important for identifying the approximate location where the golf ball lands after being hit with the golf club. Being able to see the golf ball trajectory is also necessary so that a golfer can fully appreciate the quality of his shot, thereby increasing the golfers enjoyment of the golf round.
Previous attempts to light golf courses involve attaching large, high voltage, alternating current (AC) driven lamps at various locations around the golf course. The lights are mounted high above the ground to provide the most effective location for lighting the most area on each golf hole. The lights are either attached to poles mounted into the ground or attached to trees that presently reside around the golf course. Underground cable is then run from a public power supply to each light on the golf course.
A conventional lighting system is, however, prohibitively expensive to install since cable must be routed through the ground to every remote location on the golf course, some locations being in upwards of one or two miles from the closest power source. Digging underground trenches for running the cable is also expensive and can destroy the quality and aesthetic beauty of the golf course. The lights are also expensive, since they must produce a maximum number of foot candles to illuminate the largest amount of space. Lamps of this size use a large amount of wattage and, therefore, are also expensive to operate. In addition, the lamps must be constantly replaced which increases golf course maintenance costs. Since the lamps must be positioned high above the ground, it is also very time consuming and dangerous for maintenance personnel to travel to each light location, position a ladder underneath the light, and climb the ladder up to the light fixture to replace the lamp.
If the lamps are attached to specially constructed support poles, the poles create an additional obstruction that would not otherwise exist on a non-lighted golf course. These poles detract from the quality of the golf course during daytime play. For lamps that are attached to trees surrounding the golf course, a power cable must be run from the ground to the lighting fixture. The cable is supported with clamps mounted into the tree. These clamps along with the lighting fixture mountings can damage or kill the tree. The power cables and lighting fixtures also detract from the aesthetic beauty of the golf course during the day, which is a significant factor to a golfer's overall enjoyment of the golf course. Because of the physical size of each high wattage light and the time required to mount the lights above the ground on special support poles or trees, it would not be practical for the lighting fixtures to be removed every day. Therefore, the lamps and lighting fixtures are exposed to year-round weather conditions that decrease the operating life of the lighting system.
Some attempts have been made to provide portable golf course lighting. However, the portable light source is insufficient for effectively playing golf at night. For example U.S. Pat. No. 3,918,719 to Welch shows a transportable light that is attached to a golf cart to illuminate spots on a golf course at night. This light, however, does not effectively identify the overall layout of a golf hole. Thus, the golfer often will not know where to direct his golf shot. In addition, the light source is attached to a golf cart, which cannot illuminate a golf ball outside the limited range of the golf cart. This would make it difficult to track the trajectory of the golf ball after being hit with a golf club and to find the golf ball after it returns to the ground.
Previous methods for playing golf at night include using glow-in-the-dark golf balls. Illuminated golf balls are known in the art and are described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 3,351,347 to Smith et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,458,205 to Smith et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,386 to Berard, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,852 to Melesio. While an illuminated golf ball provides sufficient contrast for easy identification at night, the golfer still does not know where to direct his golf shot and can not identify the specific hazards on each golf hole. For example, the golfer would not be able to see a sand trap, water hazard, or trees that determine where the golf shot should be directed.
Accordingly, a need exists for a low cost, portable golf course lighting system that allows a golfer to easily observe the golf ball during all stages of the golf game and that allows the golfer to discern the general layout and hazards of each golf hole.